Energy firms have assured the UK Government that they will no longer install prepayment meters in the homes of vulnerable customers.
Companies including Centrica-owned British Gas had been accused of going against rules which prohibited the installation of prepayment meters without home owner's consent in recent weeks.
Prepayment meters force people to pay for energy in advance either through cash or on a credit card and their use has surged as the cost of gas and electricity has rocketed.
The magistrates have been told not to issue any more warrants by the government to companies which would allow them to enter homes to install prepayment meters, according to a report by the Evening Standard.
A report from The Times highlighted that one of Centrica’s sub-contractors had been forcibly entering homes to install the meters.
An undercover journalist at the paper found the company's debt collectors were breaking into vulnerable customers' homes to install meters.
British Gas boss Chris O’Shea said he was horrified by the behaviour of its contractor, Arvato Financial Solutions, and had suspended all forceful installations until at least next winter.
EDF, the UK's second-largest second energy supplier, also confirmed it is suspending forced installations.
Ovo Energy, another major supplier, said it had stopped the practice in November and Octopus Energy claimed it only rarely used forced installations and was not currently.